Say Goodbye to the World You Thought You Lived In
by WillandAliciaFan
Summary: After 5x15 aired, the Kings said they had known for a long time that they had wanted Alicia to experience some sort of tragedy that would cause her to reevaluate her life. So what if Josh Charles hadn't wanted to leave, and Will Gardner hadn't died? Exploring an alternate ending to episode 5x15 and an AU where Alicia experiences a different life-changing tragedy.
1. Prologue

**Follows cannon up to and including 5x15. From the point where Diane and Kalinda arrive at the hospital, the story goes AU. A short prologue to set the stage.**

* * *

Diane was able to reach Will's sisters while Kalinda was having difficulty reaching Alicia. After a few unanswered calls, she decided to try Eli. When Eli heard what had happened, he handed the phone to Alicia.

"Hello."

"Hi, Alicia. It's Kalinda."

She didn't understand why Kalinda would be calling her or why Eli would insist she take Kalinda's call. "There was shooting today at the courthouse. Will was caught in the crossfire. Diane and I are here at the hospital in the ER. All we know is that the doctors are working on him now."

She felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. "Is - is he - where was - the bullet" - she couldn't get her head to stop spinning in order to formulate a coherent sentence.

"I saw him before the paramedics arrived. Looked like one to the shoulder and one" - she had to take a deep breath to keep herself strong - "to the abdomen."

The room was starting to spin and feel suffocatingly too small.

"I'll update you as soon as we know anything more."

She managed a weak, "Thank you," before the call ended.

Eli came to her side and suggested she go to the hospital. The luncheon would manage without her, and she obviously wasn't in a condition to play the role of political wife right now.

Her car was here, but she didn't feel she could drive, so she called a cab.

On the ride to the hospital she checked her phone. There were three missed messages. One from Diane, one from Kalinda, and one from...Will. The past few months passed before her eyes in a blur. The war between them seemed so pointless, after all, of their hate was rooted in the fact that they loved each other. A love they had both tried passionately to eradicate from their hearts to no avail. He was hanging between life and death, and when she thought of all the hurtful comments she had hurled at him, the way she had stolen clients right from under his nose, she felt such shame and such guilt.

Her phone buzzed. It was Marilyn. Whatever it was, she wasn't interested right now. The investigation, her nonattendance, any other myriad of reasons Marilyn was calling, were the farthest thing from her mind. A few seconds later, her phone buzzed again, Eli. Now, she just cut it off. She was about at the hospital, and all she could think about right now was Will and her guilt.

The hospital was a buzz with action, to which Alicia was partially immune to as she made a beeline from the cab to the entrance and then began looking for Diane and Kalinda. She was vaguely aware of the small media presence outside of the hospital, likely looking to follow the story of the courthouse shooting with updates on the victims.

It didn't take her long to spot Diane and Kalinda and as she began to make her way over to them, she was surprised to see Marilyn with them. When they saw her, they returned her expectant, pleading gaze with looks that one might describe as pity mixed with fear of knowing you're the one to bestow bad news. Her heart sank as her fears intensified as to Will's fate.

Marilyn fumbled "I tried calling you."

"I know. I...was going to call you back." Well, maybe she wasn't, but…

Kalinda spoke next. "Maybe you should sit."

She was feeling impatient. She didn't want to be treated like she was fragile. "Just tell me. What is it?"

Diane, Kalinda, and Marilyn all looked back and forth one to the other. Diane silently agreed to take the lead. "Will was taken from the ER to the OR. Kalinda and I were going to wait for you to arrive before we went up to wait there."

"Okay, so let's go." She turned her head to look which way to the elevators.

Diane continued, "Not yet, Alicia." She turned her focus back to Diane, confusion written on her features as she tried to figure out what still needed to be said before they went up to the surgical floor. "After Kalinda called you, while you were on your way here, another ambulance arrived." Diane glanced at Kalinda and Marilyn, both silently giving her their consent to continue the narrative. "There was a multi-car accident involving several cars of the Governor's motorcade...including the car Peter was in."

Marilyn was here. Marilyn and Eli had tried calling her. There were media vans outside. They were all looking at her with that look of sadness mixed with empathy versus pity...her knees started to feel week as pieces to a puzzle started to fit together.

"Where - where's Peter?"

"The paramedics did everything they could, but...they were unable to save him."

* * *

She sat, staring, looking, but really seeing. The ER was busy, hectic, between the victims from the shooting and the victims from the accident, both those suffering physical wounds as well as those being treated for shock, the ER was full.

She heard sounds, but it sounded muffled, like as if she was underwater. She felt like she was under water. Her limbs felt heavy, like there was the extra resistance you feel in water that you don't against the air. She felt strapped for air, like there wasn't enough oxygen available.

Marilyn went to alert the hospital staff that Mrs. Florrick had arrived. The hospital social worker, the doctor who had pronounced Peter dead on arrival, both had wanted to speak with her.

Diane went up to the surgical floor to wait for news about Will, and Kalinda remained with Alicia, silently sitting in the chair next to her.

Marilyn came back over. "When we couldn't get a hold of you, Eli called the school, and we sent someone from the security detail to pick Zach and Grace up from school. No one was to say anything more than that their father had been in a car accident and that they were being brought to the hospital. They should probably be arriving any minute."

Alicia shook her head mutely. Zach and Grace. She'd have to explain this to Zach and Grace.

"Eli called Jackie as well. She's likely to arrive any minute as well."

By the time the other Florricks had arrived, the hospital social worker had moved Alicia from the main waiting area to a private room. Zach, Grace, and Jackie were brought there as well when they arrived. The social worker, who unfortunately has been in this role far too many times, breaks the news to the rest of the family.

* * *

Arrangements are made. Alicia is once again in the spotlight, this time as the widow at Peter's funeral and not as the collateral damage at a press conference. It all sort of feels the same.

Grace, Zach, Jackie, they all grieve. Alicia spends a few days at home, but then she's back at work. She's home by dinner time. She's cooking well balanced meals for the kids, which she only picks at. She cleans obsessively. There's likely not a speck of dust or particle of bacteria to be found in her apartment. Bathrooms, vacuuming, laundry, ironing. Busy, always busy doing something, anything except feeling.

Her mother, Owen, Cary, they're all worried about her. No one believes she's okay. Like there's a rule book for how one should act when they've been widowed. They must cry incessantly or else they're not dealing with it properly. She can't crumble. She can't afford to. Her children need her. Her firm needs her. "You don't need to be so strong" Owen tells her, just like after the scandal. But she does need to be strong. She doesn't know how to feel, how to let go, without drowning.

It still hasn't quite set in that Peter's gone infinitely. Maybe his brief stint in prison was a preparation for this permanent separation. Even with all the pain and shame of a few years ago, for the past twenty years they had been husband and wife. She wasn't sure how to be half of a whole.

Grace was finding solace through her faith. She had Connor and Zach had Nisa. Alicia was surprised and grateful to realize just how strong their relationships were.

The war between Florrick/Agos and L/G had cooled down. She had initiated a cooling of the waters just before this all happened, and after, there was sort of an unspoken truce between Alicia and Diane. Anyway, Diane hadn't been the one leading the war against Florrick/Agos, it had been Will, and Will was still not back at work. He had made it through his surgery and was still recovering.

While he was gone, several of the partners, always on the lookout for an opportunity to better their lot, began plotting how to take advantage of Will's absence. Once Damian and David Lee found out about Diane's reconciliation with Alicia, they attempted to try to rig a vote to oust her and Will as named partners. Fortunately, Kalinda got wind of the plan, and she was able to get enough dirt on Damian to force him out before he caused any more damage to the firm.

But before Damian left, he and David Lee found themselves with an opportunity to oppose Alicia in court. Although she and Diane had agreed to play fair, David and Damien felt no obligation to show "the traitor" that same goodwill. As if fighting fire with fire and turning what could have been easily settled into a contentious trial wasn't enough, there was substantial testimony about what one side believed occurs after death. Unlike Grace, Alicia did not have any sort of spiritual framework to deal with or understand Peter's loss. What if this man's views were true? It was too much.

When she left the courthouse, the sun was reflecting on the white snow, but everything seemed dark. Once she arrived home, she headed straight for her bed and fell into a long, deep sleep. As much as she had tried to disconnect from her emotions, her body wouldn't let her escape any longer. When she woke up, she had no interest in getting out of bed, in food. She claimed she must have come down with the flu. She wasn't sure if anyone bought that explanation. She didn't care if they did or not. No one chose to challenger her on it and just let her be. So there she stayed, in her bed for three days.

Since she had made herself unavailable, Cary was acting on his own, making decisions for the firm without her. When Jeffrey Grant's father came into the firm to discuss the wrongful prosecution case he wanted to file against the SA's office, Cary thought it looked like a good case and agreed to take it.

* * *

 **I know this chapter was more summary. I'm trying to somewhat follow cannon with this story, and most of this is how things occurred on the show (so just rewatch those episodes) with a few twists. As the story progresses, there will be more dialogue, character interaction, etc. I guess, you could consider all of this like background information for the coming chapters.**

 **And I'm really interested to know what people think.**


	2. Healing

**Sorry for not being more regular with updating, and now I've updated this chapter three times in three days. The first half was posted a few days ago, but I've added more to it today.**

* * *

 **Six months later:**

She had to climb out of this abyss. She knew it. It had been six months, and…well, she was tired of it already. Maybe time does heal all wounds, even this one. Zach had recently left for Georgetown, Grace was out with friends, and Alicia, after a long, hard week at the office, decided she'd pamper herself with a bath, with scented candles, bath oils, bubbles, and wine.

She turned on some relaxing music, slid into the tub, letting the warm water, soft bubbles, candle light, and aromas allow her to relax. She lay back, closed her eyes, mindful not to fall asleep, and began to allow her mind freedom to wander. Now that she was letting go, her subconscious brought forth memories of similar moments. There had been times where she'd been in this tub, candles, oils, bubbles, wine, music, and _he_ 'd been there with her. As soon as his image appeared in her mind, her eyes opened and she sat up. She didn't have to look behind her to know that he wasn't there. She decided she didn't need to run from her thoughts. She was tired of running from herself. She was ready to remember, to feel. Memories could be painful, but remembering could also bring comfort.

She lay back and closed her eyes once again, and again he was there behind her. Instead of feeling the smooth porcelain behind her back, she felt his warm body, her head resting against his shoulder, as his hands wandered over her bare body beneath the bubbles. She relaxed into him and bent his head towards her finding _that spot_ on her neck with his mouth. She tilted her head slightly providing him better access. She could still remember that night as if it were yesterday, not over two years ago, almost three. She didn't have to feel guilty for thinking about _him_. But thinking about him made her heart constrict. She wasn't able to finish out the events of that bath in her mind's eye before other images of him rose to the surface. Images of him angry. Painful moments from this past year; words, looks, deeds where she had been the victim and the perpetrator.

It was quite possible that loosing Will hurt more than loosing Peter. She lost Peter twice, and neither were her fault. She also lost Will twice, and both times, it was her fault.

She had seen him recently, a few weeks ago they had crossed paths in the courthouse. After many, many weeks of recuperation, both in the hospital and at home, weeks of physical therapy, Will was finally given a clean bill of health. His wounds, the physical ones, had healed properly. He could engage in any sports or other physical activities he had been accustomed to prior to the shooting. Except for some scar tissue, both physical and emotional, he was perfectly healthy and back at work, at first just in the office, and then a few weeks ago, he felt ready to go back to court.

She hadn't known much about what was going on with him. After Cary agreed to take the Grant wrongful prosecution case, he and Kalinda had had a falling out. Had they still been together, she may have known more about his recovery progress. Although she and Diane had called a truce, it was a cold one due to the Grant case. Alicia had herself been disgusted with Cary's choice, but throughout that whole time, she'd been absorbed in her own dark abyss and not involved in the firm's decisions. Once she was more fully functioning in the office, she made it clear to Cary that she'd have no part with the case, but she couldn't force him to drop it. She realized she was probably lucky he hadn't cut her out of the firm while she was "out sick".

So she was completely unprepared when she walked into the courthouse and saw that familiar profile at the far end of the corridor. Various thoughts and emotions flowed through her in those few seconds before he turned with what must have been his client and entered the courtroom near where he was standing. She collected her thoughts, checked her emotions, and continued on to the courtroom her case was assigned to.

Once the water became cold, she ended her bath. For the rest of the night he thoughts jumped between memories covering the gamut of their relationship, good and bad. She let all of the subconscious thoughts into her mind. She let herself relive the good ones, feel the pain of the bad ones. Recently, she had done the same with her memories of Peter. It had been cathartic, and the impetus for her desire to return to the world of the living and leave the dark cave she'd dug for herself.

Tonight was no less cathartic.

* * *

It was an emotional night for Will as well. Earlier that day he'd received a request to testify in Grant's wrongful prosecution trial. He knew he could refuse, and he knew just as well that he could be subpoenaed. He sat in the chair in his office nursing a glass of scotch. Thinking of Jeffrey Grant inevitably led to thoughts of Alicia. His thoughts of her ran the gamut. One minute he felt burning anger, the next compassion. His own brush with death had caused him to view himself as less invincible and more vulnerable than he had since he was a small child. He had for sure been knocked off his high horse that he had been riding for the months leading up to the shooting. His holy war against Alicia had lost it's flavor. But he was still deeply hurt. Hurt that she left him, and when he'd found out her firm was representing the man who shot him, who almost took his life, he was crushed.

He had his usual drive for the law, for winning, but the thought of being the country's best lawyer didn't bring him as much satisfaction as it did before. It felt like an empty, hollow goal. For the past few months, he'd pursued the physical goal of regaining his health and being able to return to work, but now that he'd achieved that, he wanted something more out of his personal life.

* * *

Monday morning found Alicia upbeat and positive. Reliving so many good, happy memories had reminded her of better times, and she knew that life could be happy again. She could choose to live with the sad thoughts and feelings, or she could choose to live with the happy ones. She was smart, good at her career, derived satisfaction from it, still had one child at home to care for on a daily basis, to be a role model for. She didn't know what the future would bring, how her life would turn out, but she was going to be positive that whatever would be, if she wanted it to be good, it would be as long as she maintained a positive attitude.

That's how she had been when she was child and young adult. It wasn't until life dealt her some really tough cards that she'd changed. But she decided to reclaim who she really was.

She had to be in court today. She'd focus any and all anger/aggression into her cross-examination. She'd find outlets, but she wasn't going to let those emotions take over her life. She was going to rebuild in every way that she could.

She dug in her closet past the more conservative suits she'd been wearing the past few months and found one that while still professional was a bit more provocative. She hadn't worn it in years. She smiled as she remembered how she'd worn it often during the affair, and the look in Will's eyes every time he saw her wearing it, followed by memories of him helping her take it off and…she didn't have time for this now, or a cold shower. She needed to leave soon.

She decided to wear it. She felt good, and she wanted to look good. And looking good, she felt good. She was ready to go.

She arrived at the courthouse in high spirits. She was ready for her case, looking forward to a good cross, ready to enjoy the high of outsmarting opposing counsel. She walked in, headed down the hall, turned the corner to the hallway where her courtroom was located when she saw him walking in her direction. She hadn't anticipated seeing him, but in a few seconds their paths would cross. Sooner or later this day would come. Would they speak? Walk past each other without acknowledging the other's presence?

* * *

He was in the courtroom, second chair to a much less experienced attorney. He was physically recovered, but he still felt some anxiety about being in court, so it was decided he'd work on cases, be at the hearings and trials, but he'd take a backseat position until his therapist and Diane were ready to let him fully return. He didn't really need Diane's permission to take first chair. He was just as much in charge of the firm as she was, but he knew she was right. He wasn't ready yet. Sitting at the table while another attorney took over with questioning and arguing took the pressure off.

The judge was delayed, and the hearing wouldn't be starting for another fifteen minutes. Kalinda texted she had some information to help with the case, and Will left the courtroom in search of a quiet place to call her. He exited the courtroom while texting her he'd be calling. He sent the text, turned, looked up and saw her walking down the hall in his direction. He hadn't seen her since the day before the shooting six months earlier.

He didn't know what he had expected, but he was surprised to see her so - so - and that suit. He remembered it. His anger from a year ago had subsided considerably. The hurt was still there, but not the unbridled anger. He wasn't sure what they were; friends, enemies, former lovers…he wasn't sure what he wanted them to be.

* * *

Neither had but a few seconds to ponder their impending encounter, or avoidance thereof. She inhaled, steeling herself, but remaining upbeat and pleasant. If this encounter would be antagonistic, it would not be because of her.

"Hi," she greeted him with a hint of smile. Professional, yet friendly.

He noted her demeanor and chose to respond in kind. "Hey."

"You're back in court?"

"Yeah. I've been back for a few weeks."

"I know." He gave her a questioning look. "I saw you here a few weeks ago from the other end of the hall as you were entering one of the courtrooms."

It was awkward but wonderful all at the same time to talking to him, and he was staring daggers or spewing insults.

"You must be glad to be back." She was thinking of how hard his suspension had been, and he'd been away from the law after the shooting about just as long. Plus the recovery must not have been pleasant.

"Yeah. I actually went back to work two weeks earlier than expected." His phone buzzed. Kalinda was waiting for his call. "I have to take this call."

"Of course." She glanced at her watch. "I'm late." If it had been Canning she'd bumped into the hall, she'd be sure it was a ploy to purposely cause her to be late. She didn't hold any false illusions that she and Will would ever once again be friends, but she hoped the pranks and animosity that existed between a year ago were over. She didn't want Will in the category of Canning, Nyholm, Crozier.

"It was good seeing you." She felt compelled to add as she walked off. It really was.

"You too," he reflexively responded, and as he went on his way, he realized that regardless of all the conflicting emotions he felt towards her, he meant it. He glanced back over his shoulder catching sight of her as she entered the courtroom. Six months ago, he had many bleeding wounds. Time seemed to have healed more than just the literal ones.

* * *

Late Friday afternoon Alicia was in the office finishing off some paperwork after spending most of the day in court. The verdict had come back today for the case she'd been involved with all week. Her client had won. It had been a good week. She'd enjoyed one upping opposing counsel at every turn, making witnesses squirm on the stand during cross. She'd succeeded in putting mind over matter. Whenever she felt herself getting dragged down by sadness about Peter or Will or Zach's being so far away, she'd think of happy times, remind herself she could relive those memories any time she wanted, and that it was possible that there were more happy memories to be made in the future, even if she hadn't a clue what the future would look like.

She was surprised to say the least when she saw Will walk into the office. He approached the secretary and as their conversation progressed, she could tell that he was becoming frustrated. She didn't know why he was there or what he was upset about, but she decided she'd go over and find out what was going on.

"Hey," she greeted him when she got to the reception desk.

"Hi," he responded curtly, clearly frustrated.

"Ms. Florrick, this gentleman has requested to meet with Mr. Agos, but he doesn't have an appointment. I offered to schedule a meeting for next week, possibly Monday, but he's insisting on speaking to Mr. Agos now," the secretary explained.

"Is Cary still here?"

"He is, but he's scheduled to leave in less than ten minutes."

She turned to Will, "Is ten minutes enough?"

"Yes." She noticed he still seemed to be angry about something, but at the same time relieved to have gotten his appointment with Cary.

"I'll just check with Mr. Agos."

"No, I'll show him to Cary's office."

Will followed Alicia and refrained from giving the secretary a smug look.

Once they were out of the secretary's earshot, "Will, what are you thinking coming here at the end of the day on Friday and expecting a meeting without an appointment?"

"So you saved me from the secretary so you could take over?" Agitation creeping into his voice.

"No. I just don't understand what's going on here. What's so urgent that it couldn't wait until Monday? For months our firms have avoided taking cases against each other, so what business do you have with Cary that can't wait?"

"What's going on here is that your partner had me subpoenaed to testify Monday morning in Grant's trial, and you're surprised that I would be here?"

"He what?" She had been shocked that Cary took the case, but to ask Will to testify? He was one of the victims of the shooting, and Cary apparently wanted him to testify about how he had believed in Jeffrey's innocence and that he had been convinced he was falsely charged.

"So now you're going to pretend like you didn't know anything about it, huh?" He had hoped their firms would stop playing dirty, but he was feeling he had hoped in vain.

"Will, really, I had no idea. Cary took this case without consulting me about it. I had been out of the office for a while after…the accident, and when I came back, he refused to drop the case and I refused to have anything to do with it. And I don't."

He believed her.

A few seconds later they were in front of Cary's office.

Alicia knocked and then opened the door slightly peering in. "Hey, Cary. Do you have a few minutes?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"You have a visitor." She opened the door for Will to enter. She smiled at Will, glowered at Cary, and closed the door behind her as she made her way back to her desk.


	3. Unexpected

**This chapter picks up immediately where the other chapter left off.**

* * *

Her phone buzzed. She answered without checking the caller ID.

"Yes," she snapped.

"Ouch. Someone's cranky."

She hadn't meant to be so sharp. "Sorry, Finn."

"Rough day?"

"No, it was good actually."

"Won your case?"

"Yep."

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something. Can you meet me at our usual place in an hour?"

"Sure." Alicia and Finn had been meeting for drinks regularly. Nothing romantic. They found they had a lot in common, enjoyed each other's company, and were both in need of friends.

A few minute later Will stormed out of the office, immediately followed by Cary barging into her office.

"Since when do you bring people without appointments into my office unannounced at the end of the workday? I had thought Sandra must have left already or not been at her desk, but I passed her on my way to your office, and she told me about how she'd told him it wasn't possible to meet with me and that you went over her head."

"Well, I am over her head. And you Cary, you have a lot of gall to subpoena Will to testify."

"He's a material witness."

"He was a victim. For Heaven's sake Cary, a few millimeters difference and the bullet wound would have been fatal."

"You made it clear that you wanted to have nothing to do with this case. You can't have it both ways, Alicia. Either you're involved or you're not. I'm representing my client to the best of my ability. That's my job."

She didn't need a fight with Cary now. For a split second she considered getting on board in attempt to run the case her way, but she caught herself before responding. She didn't want this case, especially not for the sole purpose of showing Cary she could do it better and proving he didn't need Will as a witness. She treated Cary to a cold stare as he retreated from her office. Her high spirits from her win in court were swiftly dropping. She finished up her paperwork and headed straight for the bar.

* * *

When Finn got to the bar, Alicia had already had two shots of tequila.

"For someone supposedly celebrating a win in court, you seem like something's eating you."

"It was a good day, really good, until the end. Falling out with Cary."

"Ah, trouble in paradise?"

"Grant case."

"I thought you weren't involved in that?"

"I'm not."

"But?"

"But then I inadvertently became aware of some details of the case."

"Details which you disagree with, but Cary wasn't interested in your input."

"You're good."

"I know."

"So you're upset about these details or that you don't get a say in it?"

"Wow, you really are good."

"I know my customers."

"Both." A thought crossed her mind. "Are you going to be testifying?"

"In the Grant trial?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"You never mentioned anything about it."

"That's because you didn't want to have anything to do with it, so I don't talk about it. I was a victim and the prosecuting ASA. I also think the office is looking for a scapegoat."

"So they're going to hang you out to dry?"

"Maybe."

They were silent for a moment.

"You said you wanted to discuss something?"

"Yes. It's actually connected to the Grant case. After this trial is over, I'm planning on leave the SA's office." She looked at him questioningly, and he continued. "I'd like to start my own firm, and I'd like it if you'd join me."

She was momentarily speechless. This came completely out of left field. He saw the wheels in head turning. "I've been thinking about it for a while. Take the Grant case for instance, the original case. It had nothing to do with whether or not I thought he was guilty. The SA's office was charging him, and I get assigned the case. I'm just doing my job, but I don't always feel that we're after the right guy.

"I want to start my own firm, small, and take cases I believe in. I'm not looking to be Chicago's biggest firm or top lawyer. I just want to work in my profession and feel good with myself about what I'm doing."

She sat thinking over what he said and what he was proposing. Cary certainly wasn't taking the Grant case because he believed in what he was doing. And what about Sweeney and Bishop? The longer she'd been back working, the more and more her initial distaste for these individuals dissolved. Her innate idealism had faded as she found herself time and again defending people she herself felt to be more likely guilty than innocent.

"Even though I don't want to start a big firm, I would like to have a partner or two who share my vision with whom I could have a good working relationship. We've only known each other a few months, but I think we'd work well together. I also think you have some shady clients you'd rather, in your heart of hearts not represent."

"You've got me there," she conceded. "I don't know." She agreed that she and Finn would probably be able to make a good partnership. It was actually a better match than her and Cary. Truth be told, Cary probably approached her about breaking away with him and the others more for her last name than anything else. Finn on the other hand, actually wanted her for her professional abilities.

He gave her space to think, digest, what he had suggested. "I'll let you think about it. I'm not making any moves so soon, so you have time to let me know. I will add, if you are interested, this partnership would have to based on our being able to trust each other and the firm starting on the right foot."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, if you split from Cary, it's not going to be behind his back, and we're not stealing away clients."

Finn was straight as an arrow. Alicia liked that. In the time she'd returned to being a lawyer, she'd been disillusioned with the amount of corruption she'd seen, but she'd started to become desensitized to it. Could she and Finn really pull off a firm and stick to their morals, not letting money decide which clients and which cases? She'd definitely done some things in the past few years she wasn't completely proud of.

"I'll think about it."

"Good."

Finn left, and Alicia decided to stay. She'd gotten a text from Grace just before Finn had arrived asking if she could stay over at her friend's. Alicia wasn't looking forward to a night alone, but she completely understood a sixteen-year-old girl preferring a Friday night sleepover to a night home with mom. She wasn't in a hurry and ordered another drink. She was starting to get a little tipsy when a middle-aged man appeared to her left and started to try to talk her up.

She chatted back, the alcohol making her be more friendly than she meant to be. The guy was interested and when he suggested they leave, together, she made it clear she wasn't interested. He wasn't the type to take no so easily, especially when he had been drinking. He became more aggressive, and when Alicia realized he wasn't going to let up, she decided she'd leave. A night home alone it would be. Staying at the bar was no longer appealing. As she started to walk away, he grabbed her arm making it clear that as far as he was concerned, she wasn't leaving alone.

* * *

There was someone seated at a table across the bar who had been watching the exchange. Actually, he'd been watching her/trying not to watch her since she'd entered the bar. When it became obvious to him that she wanted to leave and that that guy wasn't letting her, he decided to do something about it.

"Hey, I think she wants to go."

"Well, if you'll move, we'll be on our way."

"I don't get the feeling she wants to go with you."

"Well, buddy, that's none of your business."

"Well, maybe I'm going to make it my business."

Will tried to take his hand off of Alicia's arm. They guy shoved him. Will shoved back. Will was stronger and there wasn't much of a fight before the guy decided to back off, but not before Will had gotten slugged in the eye.

Once the guy backed away Will turned to Alicia, "You okay?"

"Yeah." She was a little shaken up, but otherwise okay.

"You're staying?"

"No, I think it's time for me to go home."

"Me too." Will threw some money down on the counter, enough to cover his bill and Alicia's, and they both walked out.

Once they were out, Alicia saw Will wincing and the bruise forming on his eye. "You should put some ice on that. Come, my apartment's closer than yours."

"It'll be fine."

"Will, you're not fine, and the sooner you put ice on it, the less it will swell." He knew her apartment was about a ten-minute drive from where they were and his was twenty-five minutes, and he knew she was right about the sooner he got ice on it the better.

They caught a cab and within a few minutes they were in her apartment. When they walked in she pointed towards the sofa. "Have a seat. I'll get the ice pack." She sat down on the sofa next to him, but too close, and handed him the ice pack which he put on his eye.

"Thanks."

"You're the one I should be thanking for saving me from that creep."

"If I'd known I'd end up with a souvenir, I don't know if I'd gotten involved."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They sat there in silence, both feeling more than a little awkward. The last time Will had been at her apartment was when they had been during their affair, and so much had happened since then.

"So what's with you and Finn?" He'd seen them together at the bar. He told himself he didn't care, but he couldn't quite quiet the voice of jealousy that told him that he wanted to be the man sitting next to her having drinks.

"Me and Finn?"

"That was Finn you were at the bar with, wasn't it? Before that other guy."

She wasn't sure, but she thought that maybe, maybe she sensed a bit of jealously. If true, that meant he cared. "Yes, that was Finn. We meet for drinks sometimes. Not so often." She wasn't sure how much she wanted to say. But it was always so easy talking with Will, as long as they weren't talking about anything except "them". "He helped me a lot after Peter died. He'd lost someone not long before that."

"The miscarriage?"

"He told you?"

"Yeah, we've talked a lot since the shooting." It had been helpful for them both to share their experiences with the one other person who could really understand, who went through the same thing. Finn's injuries had been much less serious, and he'd recovered and returned to work much sooner than Will. "He's a good guy, except for working for the dark side."

"He's thinking about switching over."

"I thought he liked working for the SA's office."

"He did, but now he doesn't. He's thinking of starting his own firm, something small with just a few partners."

"You seem to know a lot."

"He asked me to join his firm."

"Are you?"

"I don't know. He just told me about it tonight, and I haven't really had a chance to think about it yet. Considering everyone I work with is closer in age to my kids than to me, maybe it would be nice to work with someone my age and not feel like the office babysitter." She was leaning back on the sofa, eyes closed, feeling drowsy from the alcohol.

"It was your choice to leave with the fourth years." The snarky little comment was out before he'd had a chance to think whether he should say it or not.

Fortunately, Alicia was thinking before she shot back with a snarky retort of her own. "Will, I…I'm sorry about…" she hadn't planned on taking the conversation in this direction. It was spontaneous, but she felt the need to deal with this and felt that this was just as good a time as any. They were alone, by chance, and with the alcohol still having an affect on her, she was bit less reserved about sharing her thoughts. Also with Finn's offer on the table and her possibly splitting from Cary, which she hadn't decided yet, she felt she needed to right the wrong she had committed when she left with Cary. Loose ends needed to be tied. "…leaving the firm…leaving you."

Will hadn't expected the conversation to go there, but he hadn't expected to end up in Alicia's apartment either. Tonight was one surprise after the next. And eventually, they'd either have to have this conversation or … he wasn't sure what the alternatives were.

He only had one question. "Why? I offered you managing partner, and you were planning and plotting behind my back to leave and take clients." He wasn't angry anymore like that day in her office when he first found it. But it was clear to Alicia that the hurt was still there, just as strong as it was when everything hit the fan.

She'd already lost so much, Peter and her former life were gone, permanently; she'd wanted to lose Will the-threat-to-her-marriage, but in the process lost Will as a boss, a mentor, a friend. What was there left to lose by just telling him the truth? "I was scared. Peter was just elected. I had just become the First Lady of Illinois, and I couldn't stop thinking about you. I couldn't trust myself around you. I was petrified of getting caught and the publicity that would accompany that, hurting my kids, my career. I knew Cary was leaving, and I thought if I went with him, it would be a chance to put the necessary distance between us. I didn't want to hurt you, but I also wasn't thinking about you."

"So I was just collateral damage?" He said it with a touch of sarcasm, a bit of his former anger seeping in.

"Yes - no. I saw how you treated Diane after that interview she gave about you. I was shocked by your behavior towards her and that was what finally convinced me to leave. I knew you'd be angry, and I thought that's what I wanted, create a rift between us….until I saw the way you looked at me before the elevator doors closed and I realized the extent of the damage I had done to you…to us." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and leaning back on the sofa. She opened her eyes, looking down at her hands. "I thoughts that what I wanted, until it actually happened, but then it was too late to undo what had already been done."

He had been sitting quietly, holding the ice pack to his eye, listening, trying to understand her, her motivations.

"Then when you started fighting, I fought back. That's not how I wanted things. I knew you'd be angry, but I hadn't really thought out what it would look like the next day. I was so desperate for a way out, that's all I could see. Looking back, it was foolish to think you'd would have shaken it off like dust, but when I was planning to leave, I thought I'd leave and that would be the end. We'd both move on."

She realized she was doing most, or all of the talking, but she continued. She had more she wanted to say, and as long as he seemed to be listening, she was going to say it.

She turned to face him, eyes glistening, clearly trying to hold in her emotions. "If I could go back, I would have done things differently. Even after all of the really nasty things you've done to me this past year, and I know I did and said things that were equally hurtful, I want to make things right. Even if we're not the way we were before I left, I don't want to continue the way things were up until your accident. Life's too short. When Kalinda called to tell me you'd been shot, I couldn't bare the idea that you might not have made it, that we'd spent the last six months of your life hating each other."

Will clarified, "I didn't hate you. I told you that already." Now was his turn to decide how much to reveal. After almost losing his life, what more did he have to lose? His ego already took a pretty big blow when she left. Whatever might happen now couldn't be any worse. Maybe they could attain some closure for themselves and be able to move on. Maybe that's what had been holding him back, all of the unknowns, the question marks that screamed for answers. Now, he was getting them, or at least some of them.

"I was angry and…very…hurt. After the shooting I had a lot of time to think. I came to a conclusion that I didn't want to be angry. Life's too short, as you said, to be vindictive, and no matter how much I tried to hurt you, it didn't actually make me feel any better. There just wasn't a point. I thought revenge would feel sweet, but it didn't." He hesitated for a moment before going on. "I'm sorry, too."

It was nearly impossible to think about those few months without recalling the case involving Ashbaugh's will. "Did you really believe what you accused me of during the Ashbaugh case? Do you really think I purposely manipulated you?" Thinking back, she wasn't sure what had hurt more, that he doubted that their relationship had meant anything to her or seeing how deep his hurt went.

"I didn't know what to believe anymore at that point."

"And now?"

He sighed and looking at her, "I still don't know."

It was getting harder for her to hold in her emotions. With quavering lips and tears beginning to pool in her eyes, "What I said to you on that time in New York, Will, I meant every word of it. I was so incredibly happy that weekend with you. It wasn't some calculated plan to manipulate you. It was real."

He didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure which way was easier, which hurt less, to believe it had all been real or to believe that hit had all been a lie.

"You can't trust me anymore, can you?"

He wanted to believe that what she had told him that night had been real. He wanted to be able to trust her now, but he'd been hurt too deeply. "I just - I guess, I need time."

"Fair enough." She'd been hurt deeply once too, and she had also needed time.

He'd had the ice pack on his eye long enough for one time. He handed it back to her, and she took into the kitchen. Being in the kitchen reminded her that she hadn't yet eaten dinner. Will probably hadn't either. She opened the fridge. Not much there. She wasn't up for cooking. She took out the collection of take out menus and a bottle of beer from the fridge and went back to the living room. She offered Will the beer, which he accepted and handed him the menus. "Not much in the kitchen. Your pick. I'll be back in a minute." He hadn't planned on staying for dinner, but then again he hadn't planned on getting a black eye or ending up here in the first place. And he was hungry. He wasn't sure why he was staying or if it was a good idea or what it meant, but he flipped through the menus.

She was back a few minutes later having changed out of her work suit into more casual clothes. "So what did you pick?"

"Which one of these places delivers the fastest? I'll go with whatever can get here the quickest."

"In that case, pizza." She took the menus back to the kitchen while she called to order the pizza. She hadn't actually invited him to stay, nor had she asked him to leave. As far as she could tell he didn't appear anxious leave either. Truth of the matter, they were both lonely and appreciated having someone else around, even if it was awkward and complicated.

Sitting back down on the other end of the sofa after ordering, he asked her "So where are your kids?" Once upon a time, when he was here they were at Peter's. That obviously wasn't the case now.

"Zach's a freshman at Georgetown."

"I hear it's a good school."

"So I've heard."

"He picked a major?"

"Not yet, but he's pretty adamant about not going into law or politics."

"Disappointed?"

"No, not really, especially the politics. Grace has shown some interest in law, but I don't expect her to go into law just because of me. She still has time."

"What grade is she in now?"

"11th, and way too cool to spend a Friday night at home with her boring, old mother."

"You're not boring or old."

"Well, if you were a teenage girl, you might think differently. And anyway, you're older than me."

"Not by much, just a few months."

There was a knock at the door. Alicia went to answer and came back with the pizza, setting it down on the coffee table. They started eating.

"I think you should work with Finn."

"What? Why?"

"It suits you better. He's more grounded than Cary. He'd be a better partner. And he's a better lawyer. And you're too good for the firm you're at now."

"My leaving will seriously hurt the firm."

"That's like the icing on the cake."

"I thought you said life's too short for revenge."

"No, I said revenge wasn't sweet. But seriously, switching over to Finn's firm, if he starts one, would be a good move for you, and that it's bad for Cary is like an extra bonus."

"Your meeting with Cary today didn't go well."

He sighed. "No, it didn't." He didn't elaborate, and she didn't ask. He wasn't interested in talking about Jeffrey Grant or Cary and preferred to forget about both of them, at least for the weekend.

When they'd both eaten their fill of pizza, "This is…weird." She stated awkwardly.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed.


	4. Atonement

**It's a short chapter, but A, I wanted to post before it sits around who knows how long waiting for the rest to get written. I really never know when/if I'll have time to work on this, and B) I thought it was a good point to end this chapter as I have in mind where I'm going next, and I think that will be better off in a separate chapter as opposed to lumped together with this one. Hopefully, the next one will be longer.**

 **A** **year later, early fall.**

* * *

"Another rough day at the office?" Finn took a seat next to her at their usual bar.

"What makes you say that?"

"You're starting off with tequila. Always a sign."

"It's turning into a regular."

"So things with Cary still not going well."

"No." He knew if he waited, she'd continue. If not, it would be pointless to prompt. She shared what she wanted to share, and the rest she kept to herself. "We seem to disagree more than we agree about - well, just about everything. What cases to take, financial decisions. When we were first starting, he'd joke that we were the new Will and Diane, except I think Will and Diane, even though they don't always see eye to eye, are a much better team. What was I thinking?"

"I've often wondered that."

She realized Finn didn't know her reasons. He'd probably heard some rumors, but he'd arrived in Chicago after she'd split with Cary.

"You know what, I wasn't thinking, at least not completely rationally."

"So you still haven't given me an answer about starting a firm with me, and with all of the difficulty you've been having with Cary, I'm surprised you haven't wanted to jump ship."

It was true. She was holding back on giving him an answer. True, partnership with Cary wasn't working out, so it seemed so obvious to jump ship.

"Are you worried about money?" He knew if they were starting from scratch, building up a name for themselves and building up a clientele, it would take a while before they saw paychecks like they were accustomed to. He was adamant about her not taking Florrick/Agos clients. This firm would be something they would build themselves, not take from others.

"No." That was the truth. "Thanks to Peter's life insurance, I don't have to worry so much about money."

"So thinking of early retirement?"

"No. I like working, and in another year, I'll have an empty nest." She really wasn't sure what was holding her back from taking Finn up on his offer. The Grant trial had ended two weeks earlier, and this was the first they had discussed this new firm in quite a while.

"So are you really going to start this new firm of yours?" He'd been talking about it off and on for a while, but so far, it didn't seem to be more than talk.

"I found an office space to rent a few days ago, and I'm handing in my resignation next week."

"So this really is for real."

"The only question is the name: Law Offices of Finn Polmar or Polmar & Florrick."

* * *

 **A few days later**

"No." Cary was firm, adamant.

Alicia was indignant. "What do you mean, "no"? It's my choice, not yours."

"It is when it affects the firm."

"So we'll keep the firm's name the same for a while. We can change it later."

"Alicia, it's going to affect business whether we change the firm's name or not."

"We're still the same firm."

"But it's not. You might be the same woman, but Florrick/Agos and Cavanaugh/Agos are not the same firms."

"I already said we could keep the firm's name as is."

"But even if you change your name, it affects the firm. It affects the image."

Changing her name had been something she had been reluctant to do, but she had recently decided that in order to move forward with her life, she needed to do it. Perhaps if she and Peter had had a fairy-tale marriage, she'd want to be associated with his memory indefinitely, but since the scandal she'd been plagued by conflict when it came to Peter, and since his death, plagued by conflict over his memory.

She was trying to construct a new self, a single self, and she wanted to be herself, not Peter's widow, not the former first lady. She knew she'd used Peter's status in gaining clients for her firm. Her first year at Lockhart/Gardner, she'd been so set on making it on her own, on her own merits, and by the time she left, she had no problem using her name to advance her career. She'd done a lot of soul searching this past year, and she didn't always like what she saw.

She wanted to move forward with her life. In another year Grace would be off to college. Her role as mother significantly altered, her role as wife non-existent, she needed to role as lawyer to be something she could be proud of. She needed to be true to herself, not be Peter's puppet even after his death.

She had decided to change her name back to Cavanaugh, and Cary was none too pleased. She knew he hadn't made her named partner with him just because she was the only fourth year worthy of the position, it was her name. He wanted her for the firm knowing how it would look to have the Governor's last name on the letterhead. Being that their firm was more established and Peter was dead over a year, she was a little surprised it still mattered so much to Cary.

She wondered if it would matter to Finn. She doubted it.

"You're right, Cary. It does affect the image of the firm."

"So you're not going to change your name?" Hopeful, skeptical.

"Oh, I am changing my name, and I'm resigning."

Cary wasn't expecting that turn in direction, and Alicia was done arguing with him. She took advantage of his momentary shock to grab her things and leave the office. They weren't done. There'd be more to discuss, but she was done for now.

Once in the car on the way home she called Finn.

"Hey."

"I'm in."

"So it's official, Polmar & Florrick?"

"No. Polmar & Cavanaugh."

"Palmar & Cavanaugh, sounds good."

"So you don't have a problem with the name change?"

"Not at all. Your name, your business. I didn't ask you to work with me because of your last name."

She really believed that. They discussed a few details and scheduled a meeting for a few days later.

* * *

After she arrived home she found Grace in the kitchen.

"Hey, you're home."

"I do live here."

"Good point. So there's something I want to talk with you about."

"What's up?"

"Well, a few things. One, I'm switching firms."

"Again? Why?"

"Yes, again. It's not working out with Cary as well as we'd hoped, and you know Finn POlmar?"

"Yeah, he's one of the men who got shot in court by Jeffrey Grant."

"Right. He's leaving the SA's office and wants to open a firm. He's been thinking about it for a while and he's asked me to work with him."

"And you think it will be better than working with Cary?"

"I do."

"Okay, so what's else is there? You said a few things."

"The other thing is, I've decided to change my last name back to Cavanaugh."

"Why?"

"Starting this new firm with Finn is also a chance for me to have a fresh start. When Cary and I started our firm, I took advantage of the name Florrick and being the wife of the governor. I want to start this firm as something separate from that. I'm not the governor's wife anymore. It's been over a year, almost a year and a half, and I want to be me. As long as my name is Florrick, I'm living in the shadow of your father's ghost. I need to move forward, professionally and personally."

"Personally?"

"Yes, personally. You'll be off to college next year. It will just be anther few years before you and Zach are starting careers, hopefully finding someone to share your lives with. I'm not sure I'm ready yet to think about new relationships, but I don't like the idea of spending the rest of my life alone. I think changing my name is a step in that direction."

"It's hard to think of you with someone other than Dad. A few years ago when the two of you were separated, I wanted nothing more than for you two to get back together, but this is different. You're right to want to move forward. I just want you to be happy. If that means you need to change your name or get remarried, it will take some getting used to, but I want you to do what's good for you. Zach and I will get used to it."

"Thank you, Grace."

* * *

Over the next few days Alicia began getting calls from many of her clients, Sweeney, Bishop, Chum Hum. Seems Cary had started damage control and was contacting all of their major clients in an attempt to make sure they stayed at the firm and didn't leave with Alicia.

At each phone call, Alicia regretfully informed them that it was true she was resigning and that she unfortunately could not remain their attorney. She was taking a break and possibly making career changes (neither completely untrue, she just didn't specify how long a break or detail the extent of the career changes), and as part of the terms of her resignation she wasn't poaching clients.

But one after the other insisted that they had switched to this firm because of her. When it was just Cary and the others, they had no interest. It was only after finding out that she was part of the new firm that they had jumped ship and gone with them.

"Well, if that's the case, you can always go back to Diane and Will. Lockhart/Gardner is a solid firm with solid management."

She had agreed with Finn that she wouldn't take any clients away with her to their new firm. She reiterated that to Cary when she formally resigned after her initial outburst. She wasn't taking clients. She never promised either of them that she wouldn't send clients back to Diane and Will. And in fact, she only mentioned Lockhart/Gardner in response to clients who weren't interested in sticking with Cary in her absence. She wasn't going to encourage the clients to stay put when she fully agreed with their concerns. Cary wasn't a bad lawyer, none of the lawyers at their firm were, but they were inexperienced and lacked strong leadership, especially once she left. Their concerns were valid, and everything she said about Lockhart/Gardner was true. If they clients were going to switch firms because of her resignation, she may as well help steer them back to the firm they had been poached from.

And with one call after another, she felt a weight lifting off of her. She'd waved the white flag and called a truce before the shooting, she'd apologized a year ago, and now she felt like she might merit some atonement.


	5. Encroachment

**If you're shocked, so am I. Two chapters in two days. So maybe two in a row makes up for them being short?**

 **Two months later**

* * *

Alicia sat back in her chair at her new desk. Finn really had found a good office space. The building was a good location in terms of her commute and for client accessibility. They were several flights up with large windows. They hadn't had a large decorating budget, but the space was already in good condition, so they hadn't had to worry about painting or flooring as initial costs. Once they got their feet off the ground, they could splurge on renovating if they felt the need. For now, they focused on attractive furniture and décor to make their office look inviting and comfortable as well as the necessary office supplies.

As for clients, they were starting small, but they were off to a great start. There were several pending and prior cases at the SA's office with related civil suits. As the parties were familiar with Finn, and Finn was familiar with the cases, the parties had chosen Finn to represent them in civil court. So they had hit the ground running with a handful of clients.

The secretary buzzed to let her know that her newest client had arrived. Marjorie Klein had called the firm earlier that morning seeking an attorney and scheduled an appointment. Alicia stood to greet her, noting she was very well dressed and gave off the impression of being very wealthy.

Once they were seated, "Well, Ms. Klein, what can I do for you?"

"Well, first, call me Marjorie, and second, I'm looking to sue my neighbor. He's recently done some renovations on his property which included a new driveway which encroached on my property. As it was being worked on, I saw that it was a problem. I had a land surveyor come out and check. I've continuously told my neighbor, showed him the surveyor's reports, but he went through with the paving. And he's obviously not agreeing to alter it now that it's finished. And the last time I spoke with him, early this morning, he said I could expect to hear from his lawyer as he's suing _**me**_ for harassment."

She perused the surveyor's report and photographs agreeing that it seemed pretty straight forward that this neighbor's new driveway went over the property line by two feet for a length of fifteen feet. She provided Marjorie with paperwork to sign and went over her fees.

"Okay, so next step, I need your neighbor's name, and the name of his attorney if you know it."

"My neighbor is Collin Sweeney, and his lawyer is Will Gardner."

* * *

Her phone rang, she wasn't particularly surprised when she saw Will's name on the caller ID. She'd sent him the papers on the Sweeney/Klein case, and likewise, she'd received papers on his counter suit. She'd had a good laugh reading through that one. In typical Sweeney fashion, he was claiming all of this was due to the fact that he had rebuffed her advances, and that this quibble over the driveway was nothing more than an attempt at revenge. But now that she looked at her phone, she wasn't sure of how to respond. Prior to leaving Lockhart/Gardner, she'd always been reticent to admit that small flutter she'd feel whenever he'd call. Once their war broke out, there wasn't a call answered that wasn't precipitated by her adorning her metaphorical armor. Over the years they'd been coworkers, friends, lovers, enemies. What were they now?

All of this passed through her mind in a matter of seconds, and she decided she'd answer as if it were Finn on the other line.

"Mr. Gardner, your client is a piece of work."

"Which client are you referring to?"

"Take a guess. He's one of my favorite crazy wife killers."

"Alleged wife killer. He's never been proven crazy or to have killed any of his wives."

"Well, he has good lawyers to thank for that, and speaking of good lawyers, you don't actually believe this web he's spinning, do you?"

"It doesn't matter what I believe, it's what the judge or jury believe." He began to speak conspiratorially, "You never did like Sweeney. You're probably enjoying being on the other side instead of his."

She was about to answer in the affirmative, "Clever, Will, but I'm not falling for it."

He was honestly taken aback, "Fall for what."

"You'll take anything I say about Sweeney and use it against me in court."

His mind immediately raced back to their months at war. Even though that hadn't been his motive, he realized she was wise to be cautious. He realized or remembered, rather, how brilliant she was and that he'd need to be on his toes with her as opposing counsel.

"Anyway, do you think Sweeney will want to settle? You're going to have a tough time proving his allegations in court, and meanwhile, my client has solid evidence of Sweeney's encroachment."

"Yeah, I've told him as much. That's actually why I called, to discuss possible settlement. I know it's short notice, but I had a meeting that got canceled for this evening and was wondering if you were available."

"What time?"

"Six."

"Well, if we meet at your office, I wouldn't be able to be there till 7. If you want to meet here, I should be free by 6:30."

"6:30, your office."

No one was there to notice, nor did either of them, the smiles that crossed both of their faces throughout the conversation and remained for the few moments following the end of the call.

* * *

He arrived at her office a little bit early, and her meeting ran a little bit late. At 6:40 the door to office opened and her client walked out followed by Alicia. She walked her client to the suite's door and then turned to Will.

"Sorry for the delay."

He stood up from the sofa he'd seated himself on in the small reception area. "Not a problem." He began following her the short distance to her office. "You and Finn have a nice office." He meant it.

She noted the sincerity in his voice. "It is, isn't it? Small, but nice."

"You'll expand."

"If we're able to make this firm work," said as she sat at her desk and started to sort folders looking for the Sweeney/Klein file. Sometimes she really wondered if they'd grow to a point where they could afford a larger more posh office.

"You will." He was looking her straight in the eye as she looked up at him. He sounded so sure, and the way he was looking at her, it was so familiar and yet so long ago forgotten. She was feeling strange and familiar, her breath slightly caught in her throat, pulse quickening.

"So settlement" - she cut off the moment and dove into negotiations. They were both firm and adamant in regards to their respective clients' wishes, but gone was the personal acrimony. With the exception of being on opposite sides, it felt so much like their years of working cases together.

"My client isn't going to accept that."

"Well, there's no way Sweeney is going to agree to more than that. He already considers that overly generous."

"Well, what about you. Do you think that's overly generous?"

"For Sweeney, yeah."

"Well, Marjorie wants the driveway off her property at Sweeney's expense and the counter suit dropped. Anything less than that, it's going to court."

"Well, I'll talk to Sweeney, but I have a feeling I better start prepping a difficult court case."

"Oh, I don't think this case is going to be too difficult."

"No, not for you, but I've got my work cut out for me."

"Sweeney is a piece of work."

"I'm not sure if I should be thanking you for sending him back or not."

"Sending him back?"

"Come on, Alicia. It's complete coincidence that Sweeney, Bishop, Chum Hum, and half a dozen other multi-million dollar clients all signed retainers with L/G around the time you left Cary? And before you try to deny it, a few them flat out admitted that you had encouraged them to come back to me and Diane."

"Well, there were a few former clients of yours that decided to stay with Cary."

"A few, but most of them came back." He was careful not to say "most of them that you stole came back." It was true, but he wasn't looking to start a fight, and using the word stole seemed to him that it would appear to her he was trying to instigate. "You could have taken them with you to this firm."

"No, I couldn't. Finn and I both want to build this firm on our own. I kept telling myself that's what Cary and I were doing, but it wasn't. Those clients weren't likely to stick with Cary once I left, so I encouraged them in your direction if they were anyway going to change firms."

"Well, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Don't think the gratitude will keep me from trying to destroy you in court."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you than to zealously represent your client."

He had finished gathering all of his papers and putting them into his briefcase. "You're leaving now?" He stood picking up his coat and briefcase.

"No, I've got quite a lot of paperwork to deal with before I go home."

He would have offered to walk her to her car, subconsciously looking for ways to prolong being together. "Well, have a good night," he said as he headed out of her office.

"You too, Will." She smiled at him as he turned and walked towards the door and then busied herself with her paperwork. She needed to keep busy, direct her mind to her work before her thoughts could linger too long on the man in front of her. Many things had changed over the years, but one thing clearly had not, how she felt when alone in a deserted office with Will.

After he'd walked out the door he paused and turned towards her. "I've missed working with you." What he really wanted to say was "I've missed you." But he wasn't ready to be that vulnerable with her. With time and her returning clients he'd started to feel less distrustful of her, but he was guarded none the less.

She looked up to once again find those familiar brown eyes trained on her. She had gotten so used the cold stare that had replaced the look they now held, the way he had looked at her for years before their war. It was comforting and unsettling. She didn't know what the look in his eyes meant or how what she was feeling meant, but one thing she did know, she had missed him too. "Me, too."


End file.
